Giving the Tuskegee Airmen the Heroes' Welcome They Have So Long Deserved

“The Tuskegee Airmen left a segregated country to fight in war, and unfortunately they returned to one. Though Hitler was defeated, prejudice was not. Their true heroism lies in fighting for the values of America — equality, justice, and opportunity — even when those values were not fully extended to them. Today, we try to right that wrong.”
- Speaker Pelosi, 3/29/07

Yesterday Congress honored the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American fighter pilots who served our country in World War II, with the Congressional Gold Medal. The Tuskegee Airmen bravely fought enemies abroad and racism at home, and with their service made our nation proud. Congress presented the Tuskegee Airmen with the Gold Medal–awarded by Congress to the finest public servants, bravest military leaders, and boldest thinkers.